RV Random Thoughts

[Rick_Luck]

Operating under the premise that there's no such thing as a stupid question, here's a few questions that have popped into my head recently and I keep forgetting to post.

#1. I recently installed a "Bubble Buster" canopy busting tool as the passenger side control stick. I was flying with a friend (another pilot) and was explaining the bubble buster as a potential safety tool for getting out of the plane in an inverted situation after an off the airport landing. He asked, "If you're landing in a plowed field and are worried about tipping over, why don't you just slide open your canopy when you get down to say, 200 ft. You still have the roll bar protection and then you don't have to worry about extracating yourself". I couldn't give a good reply as to the pro's or con's, but on the surface it seemed like a good idea.

#2. Have any of you had a flap motor failure, say in the down position and not been at your home airport. I was presuming the correct action would be to disconnect the flap mechanism and safety wire the actuator up so the flaps are in the up position and then fly home without flaps. Is that what you would do?

#3. Finally, after just doing the first flight since an annual which included insulating the cockpit, adding aileron push rod boots and heated seats, I'm happy to say the plane has never been warmer. I do have some air leakage around the vent outlets, even though they are duct taped closed. I've been told that it's a good idea to plug the vent air inlets on the outside of the fuselage for the winter to keep infiltration from coming out around ventilation tube fittings, but I can't remember what was used to plug them. Looking at them, it looks like it would be easy to get some closed cell foam stuck in there since the opening seems to be the most restricted part of the whole inlet piece. I suppose some strings with washers behind them and the back side of the foam would work but then you have to worry about the washer rattling around and scratching the paint, unless it is glued to the foam or something. What have you guys done who've done this?

Thanks for the info.

Rick Luck
N109RV RV-9A

[pierre smith]

Hi Rick,
This thread about sliding the canopy open has been addressed many times and you can search this forum but the consensus is that you cannot open a slider in flight. The question came up about someone wanting to wear a parachute while doing aerobatics.........you can't jump out.

I'd probably wire the flaps up too if I couldn't get the motor to run them up. No flap landings are no sweat, really.

Steinair sells much better vent fittings made from aluminum that'll stop the leaks.

Regards,
Pierre

ps. I have an axe for extricating myself in the event...